Education and Culture

In Africa, where up to 40 per cent of the health care facilities are provided by faith related organisations, Dr Mirfin Mpundu, executive director of the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN), says that due to their unique position, churches can play a special role in eliminating HIV and AIDS and bringing improvements in the lives of people living with the virus.

I had the privilege last week of speaking at Exeter University Debating Society, opposing the motion that “This house believes that World War One was a great British victory.” I am pleased to say that those present voted against the motion by seventy votes to forty.

There are now just under two weeks to go for entrants for the first Jan Fairley Award, sponsored by the the National Union of Journalists and supported by The Scotsman newspaper. The deadline is midnight on Sunday 30th November 2014.

In his 2014 book 'The Great and Holy War: How World War I changed religion forever' author and academic Philip Jenkins paints a picture of faith, and especially Christian faith, mired in blood. Is there a way out after Christendom?

The Christian Gospel amplifies the prophet’s call to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.” This summons is addressed to the whole church, all its members. It is of the essence of the Way of Wisdom and should be the basis of high quality and wide-ranging theological training, says Professor Deirdre Good, one of eight senior faculty members seeking reinstatement at General Theological Seminary in New York, after they took action to highlight abusive behaviour.

"Education or indoctrination: the future of religion in Scotland's schools" was the subject of a fascinating discussion at the University of Stirling on Thursday 23rd October, sponsored by Logie Kirk Trust and promoted by our partners at the Critical Religion Association (http://criticalreligion.org/).

The crisis at General Theological Seminary in New York has not only produced important acts of solidarity towards eight fine professors unjustly sacked for their protests about what they have experienced as bullying within the GTS administrative system, it has also begun to spark some wider questions about the future of seminary-style education and mainstream US Protestantism.